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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25015423">Rayllum Birthday Bash 2020</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluechild/pseuds/bluechild'>bluechild</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Anniversary, Baking, Baking Disaster, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Nightmares, One Shot Collection, more tags to be added with each chapter, prompts, rayllum birthday bash</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:15:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25015423</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluechild/pseuds/bluechild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Rayllum Month! Just following the prompts, hopefully you enjoy :)<br/>Day 9: Nightmares/Comfort</p><p>(DISCONTINUED because author discovered that prompts are hard and stressful and so are schedules)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Callum &amp; Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Anniversary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first time doing something like this, so we’ll see how it goes :)<br/>(It will have 16 chapters, it’s just that doing this on a mobile device isn’t letting me change the amount of chapters)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wake up!” I heard a shout, and I turned into my side, away from the </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">loudness</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2">“Callum. You had better have a good reason for waking me up.” I mumbled, throwing the blanket over my face.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I though that you always woke up ‘ready to go’? What happened to that?” He asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ugh.” I groaned, sitting up. “You happened.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But then my eyes adjusted, and in front of me was a small cake with deep red icing.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What’s this?” I asked, confused.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s our one year anniversary!” Callum grinned.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Anniversary...?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t elves have anniversaries?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2">“No, we do, it’s just only really for... married couples.” I explained.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh.” Callum scratched the back of his head, going a little red. “Um. Well, humans celebrate anniversaries for, uh, boyfriends and girlfriends as well.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2">I kissed Callum’s cheek, sparing him from my morning breath, and smiled. “I can’t believe it’s been a year.” I changed the topic before Callum got any more embarrassed.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We’d been at the Storm Spire for the first ten months after the battle, and then Zubeia had let us come to Katolis for four. Ez needed us, and it was a good chance for Callum to fully prepare for living at the Spire for the year or two we had planned.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The one and-a-bit months we had been in Katolis had been not nearly enough for Opeli to adjust to me in the castle with Callum - she had caught us ‘making out’ (as the humans put it) in corners more times than I could care to count. And I didn’t even want to think about the awkward conversations after she saw me slipping out of Callum’s room just before dawn. But her stern and embarrassing lectures didn’t scare me enough to stay away from Callum.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ah, good times.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Me neither.” Callum said, jolting me out of my thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hm?” I had forgotten what I had even said.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I can’t believe it’s been a whole year either.” He clarified.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh. Yeah.” I snuggled into his side, hooking my fingers into his scarf. “Do you think Opeli will be mad if we have some of the</span>
  <span class="s1"> cake? It looks really good.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Only one way to find out.” Callum grinned, cutting the moonberry cupcake into halves and handing me a slice.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I quickly got dressed out of my nightclothes and followed Callum to the gardens, avoiding Opeli. She was a little grumpy this morning, but we had no idea why. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">All we knew is that being sappy and mushy around her was a bad idea. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We found a little secluded spot, where the bustling city was visible but the castle was blocked by tall hedges.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As we sat down and Callum rested his hand over mine after spreading out a small blanket and some breakfast, I realised something.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are we celebrating our first kiss?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, yes.” Callum looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Didn’t I tell you to never mention that day ever again?” I narrowed my eyes at him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ummmm... but it all worked out? I mean, you kiss me all the time now. So I sorta figured that you wouldn’t mind? I’m sorry.” Callum ducked his head, looking away from me.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I mean, he wasn’t wrong. It had all worked out, and there was no point in being prideful when he was just trying (and succeeding) to be romantic.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I cupped his jaw with my free hand, and pulled his face to mine for a soft kiss.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2">When I broke away, I smiled. “No, I’m sorry. It was nice of you to remember, and really sweet of you to do this.”</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So you don’t mind anymore? The Oasis thing doesn’t bother you?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I sighed. “It was an... unpleasant day. But I think that it is a day to remember.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He brushed his nose against mine, his green eyes captivating. “Good. And I’m glad you like today already. I have some stuff planned for us - this is just the beginning.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I grinned back. “Looking forward to it.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I kissed him again, savouring the sun shining, the birds chirping around us, the leaves rustling gently and Callum’s comforting presence.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A quiet, peaceful anniversary. Perfect. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mistake/Amends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m so sorry for the wait yet again, the last week just kinda jumped me. But today I had some free time and a friend showed me the twitter thread ‘Dear David’ so now I can’t sleep (I don’t care if it’s not real, that s*** is HELLA terrifying) ahahahahahahaha it’s 1:00 am HAHAHA</p><p>So yeah I have spent the past 5-6 hours doing these prompts that have kinda run away from me, as a distraction from the horror show that is the corner in my bedroom that looks like David every time I look at it</p><p>As always, enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Being a Dragonguard was cool and all, but </span>
  <span class="s2"><em>gods</em> <em>above</em></span>
  <span class="s1"> did it make Rayla do some </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> things sometimes.<br/></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A rouge sunfire had charged in, heading straight for Zym. He had had a skywing accomplice who performed necessary spells to breath and whatnot. And another sunfire who was smaller, and not barreling in like the other two.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No you don’t!” Rayla had growled, running along the wall and flipping over to slice the sunfire elf’s arm open. Alone. With no backup. I had still been running to the front chamber, investigating the commotion.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then the smallersunfire elf had thrown a knife at Rayla’s head.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rayla knocked it away easily with her blade, but that left her arm out and within reach of the bulkier elf.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I got to watch, almost in slow motion, as the tank of an elf had grabbed Rayla’s outstretched arm and swung her around, before finally flinging her at a wall. Like she was a doll.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She landed with a crunch, with her back to the wall - no way her armour had broken that impact.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“</span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">Rayla</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">!” I had screamed, feeling energy crackle and snap inside me. In an instant, a milder lightning spell was casted at the large elf, rendering him useless. The skywing and sunfire elves had just stared at me, shocked at a human doing magic, giving me an opening to freeze them both in place.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The other Dragonguards had arrived at the front chamber, all brandishing weapons at the three intruders. But that had all barely registered in my mind - Rayla was on the ground, and she wasn’t moving. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Fast forward two hours, and Ibis called me into the infirmary.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rayla’s eyes were open - but she had bandages wrapped around her forehead, chest and one of her arms was in a sling. The bandages around her head bloody.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey, dummy.” She croaked.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But I was beyond angry. I was furious at her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What the hell was that?!” I yelled, storming in.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What?” Rayla was honestly a little shocked at my reaction to her waking up. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You almost got yourself killed! You threw yourself headfirst into danger with no regard for your own life!” I shouted.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Callum-“ She tried to speak, but I wasn’t finished.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That guy was </span>
  <em><span class="s2">five</span> <span class="s2">times</span></em>
  <span class="s1"> heavier than you </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">and</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> he had backup! Unlike </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">you</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">! Do you know exactly what you broke when he threw you like a <em>doll</em>?!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She shook her head weakly. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You broke your right collarbone, </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">two</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> ribs, and you bruised </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">three</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> ribs and your </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">skull</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">! Just from that guy <em>throwing</em> you</span>
  <span class="s1">! He had a </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">sword</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> on him, he could’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">kicked</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> you, he could’ve just- just- </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">grabbed</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> you and </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">snapped</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> your neck - he could’ve done anything!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But I’m-“</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">swear</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> to all the gods Rayla, if you say that you’re okay- you got </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">lucky</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">! He didn’t kill you out of </span>
  <em><span class="s2">sheer</span> <span class="s2">luck</span></em>
  <span class="s1">!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Callum.” A murmur, from Ibis. A thinly concealed warning. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rayla looked like she was about to cry, and all the fury seeped out of me. I felt tears fall down my own face as I fell into the chair beside the bed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m- I’m so sorry, I just-“ I stammered, but Rayla cut me off. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I know. I probably would’ve been yelling at you if you did something like that. And I’m sorry for doing it - it was reckless, and stupid, and dangerous.” She said, and I grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m just glad that you’re alive.” I told her. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Me too.” She grinned at me, and I choked a laugh.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This prompt was really hard for me to finish, but I’m really happy that I got it done :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Travel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I quite like this one :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">After staying at the Storm Spire for ten months, we decided to head back to Katolis for a while. See Ez. Help with running the kingdom for a bit.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We were taking a dragon back, opting to </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">not</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> repeat the month long trip that had been great in </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">some</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> ways, yes, but it was, to this day, one of the most difficult and exhausting months of my life. And definitely the same for Callum.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We had had our perception of the world knocked down, smashed into rubble, and set on fire. And then we had had to rebuild that perception from scratch. Things I had been taught my whole life were thrown out of the window - not to mention the physical difficulty of it all.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But it had been worth it - I couldn’t even imagine what the Silvergrove elders would say if they saw me now.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Riding on a dragon to the capital of the larges human kingdom, with Dragonguard armour on, my arms firmly around the love of my life - a human mage, also clad in Dragonguard gear.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But I shook those thoughts away, thinking to myself that </span>
  <span class="s2"><em>this is the perfect life</em>,</span>
  <span class="s1"> and rested my chin on Callum’s shoulder, content to just have a nap. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey. Ray.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I snapped awake - it was almost dark, we had landed in the Midnight Desert. At the Oasis.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">My body locked up when memories and emotions charged me head-on -</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rejection. From not only my home, and my only family, but also from the boy I had loved. Even if he didn’t technically reject me, I hadn’t known that at the time.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hurt. Both emotionally and physically, with more scratches and bruises than I could care to count. And Ethari participating in my ghosting. That had hurt a lot.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Loneliness. Losing everyone I had ever cared about -</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I thought that we could re-write the memories here. Replace the sucky ones with new, good ones?” Callum murmured, now on the ground and resting his hand on my shoulder.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“O-oh.” I replied, blinking for a second. Then I forced my limbs to move, to slide off of the dragon’s back and onto the dusty and oh-so-familiar ground.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Callum smirked at me, holding up one bedroll. “We only need one blanket.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I couldn’t help but grin at that.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I removed my armour, Callum doing the same next to me. We placed it neatly in a small pile, ready to get up and going for the next morning.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We cuddled each other close in the freezing night, gladly sharing warmth. I didn’t remember it being this cold - probably because I had been a little distracted.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey. I can see that ‘I’m thinking about something that makes me sad’ face.” Callum frowned.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m sorry- this place just isn’t a very happy place for me.” I murmured, brushing my thumb across his cheekbone and jaw.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That’s why we’re here - a do-over.” Callum said. “Okay... you had a nap on the way here, and it’s almost a full moon, so you won’t be sleeping at all tonight. So let’s just go to the pond and have a little feast. Maybe just watch the stars for a while.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I smirked. “I’m impressed. You planned a whole date.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You bet I did. I royally screwed up last time we were here, and I’ll be damned if I don’t fix it.” Callum was completely serious, and I loved him so much in that moment.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Okay. Let’s do this.” I said, flinging off the blanket.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The rest of the night was spent partially enjoying the cheeses and meats that Callum had packed, occasionally looking up at the bright night sky, and mostly spent kissing each other senseless.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When we left the next morning, the hell from last year at the Oasis was no longer what I associated with the place. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Next stop on the road trip: Sol Regem.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We politely asked for passage into the human lands - we could’ve just flown over him, but that would’ve been rude and probably not helped the whole situation with him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So we stopped, offered up some the Xadian morsel that we had caught the previous day, and he was surprisingly nice. He recognised our scents at first, and growled and roared, but at the end of the interaction he begrudgingly let us pass without any casualties. Even congratulated us on our rank as Dragonguard, and thanked us for returning Azymondias. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then: the Moon Nexus.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was a full moon that night, and being at the nexus only made it worse. I was doing laps of the lake in record times, leaping into trees where the lowest branches were five meters tall, and randomly ambushing Callum with invisible kisses.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He just smiled fondly and watched me and my antics.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I got absolutely no sleep, spending most of the night going back and forth between trying to explain the moon and it’s effect on me at the nexus to Callum, and doing long patrols just to burn some energy. And by long patrols, I mean long distance, not that it took me long to complete them. Not at all.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ellis found me hilarious, her and Ava engaging in several races. I let her win twice after feeling bad about beating her the other thirty-four times.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The full moon had a different effect on Lujanne - she was still easygoing and calm, but she demonstrated the immense illusions she could cast. She made a dragon three times larger than Zubeia fly overhead, and then settle down on the lake’s edge.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After a very... </span>
  <em><span class="s2">full</span> <span class="s2">on</span></em>
  <span class="s1"> night, I crashed almost immediately when morning came. Spending half of the day dozing on Callum’s shoulder again. He was the same, completely exhausted - but it was from dealing with me all night, I thought with a satisfied smirk.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We passed over the lake from the start of our first journey, my nose stinking at wrinkling at the memory of so, </span>
  <span class="s2">so</span>
  <span class="s1">much water. And a refreshing reminder as to why I hate water.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We stopped at the Banther Lodge for the night, crawling into a bed (somehow </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">still</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> tired, what was up with that?) and sleeping soundly together.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then a couple of hours later, Katolis came into view. The massive city even more imposing than when I last saw it.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I can’t wait to see Ez.” Callum grinned, and I returned it with a smile of my own, my chin resting on his shoulder. </span>
</p><p class="p2">“Me neither.” I told him, lacing his hand in one of my own.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Baking/Cooking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was another one that was hard for me, but I do like some parts of it<br/>Enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">“What are we doing?” I yawned, rubbing my eyes with one hand as Callum dragged me down a hall.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You can’t remember?” He asked, still leading me down a long hallway.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nope.” I thought a bit harder, then it came to me. “Ooooh, the birthday jelly tarts for Ez!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes! So, let’s make some jelly tarts!” Callum shouted excitedly.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We arrived at the modest kitchen next to the mess hall. It was early in the morning, and I had been in a deep sleep (for once) when Callum had shaken me awake. So I wasn’t very responsive at the moment.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ibis managed to find the ingredients, and Ez sent us the recipe! So now we just have to actually bake them...” Callum said, eyeing the small slip of paper that Ez sent us.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wait - why didn’t I think of this earlier - why are we baking jelly tarts for someone who is across a continent?” I asked, confused.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ezran wanted us to celebrate his birthday - and his idea was... this.” Callum said, gesturing to the jars and pouches around us.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I sighed. “Alright. Let’s bake.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It got off to a fantastic start. </span>
</p><p class="p2">Callum tried - and failed - to open the sack of flour, so I had a crack.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Well. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">I ended up with a fine coating of flour all over me when the bag exploded, and Callum tried really hard to not laugh. </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">Really</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1"> hard. And he wasn’t -</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Until my nose started twitching, sending me into asneezing fit, a white cloud kicking up with every sneeze.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Callum was in hysterics, watching me rub the flour off of my face. I just rolled my eyes, deciding to get payback later.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Revenge was a dish best served cold.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We had a small moment of panic when we realised that more flour was on me, the floor and bench than in the bag, but luckily there was another sack.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We made the pastry, pretty proud of our work. Then we spread the jam over the base - and I saw my opportunity. </span>
</p><p class="p2">With one of the spoons, I flicked some moonberry jam at Callum - it landed on his nose. He turned slowly to me, wiping the condiment off with a single finger.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You will regret that.” He warned, and without warning he threw a handful of flour at me.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I attempted to dodge the explosion of white powder, but it was impossible. I found the jar of jam again - flicking little bits at his tunic, his face and his hands.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He retaliated with mixing a handful of flower with water, making a doughy ball. My eyes widened - but it was too late. He was flinging little pieces of sticky dough at my face and hair.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’ll pay for that-“ I yelled, lunging at Callum.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I yelped as he met me halfway, tackling me to the ground unexpectedly. He rolled under me so he didn’t crush me, leaving me breathing heavily and my heart pounding, on top of him. He was in a similar state, looking up at me with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I couldn’t help it - I dived in, kissing him. Not aggressively or demanding, but more slowly and lazily.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His hands settled on my waist in an instinctive movement, and my hands tangled in his hair. I hummed when his hands started moving up and down my back in a movement that was well-practised.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What is going on in here?!” We heard Ibis exclaim. </span>
</p><p class="p2">We jumped away from each other, sheepish expression as we saw the skywing mage just appear in the doorway, taking the scene with wide eyes.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I glanced around at Callum, with little bits of deep red jam stuck to his clothes and hair, and smears of it on his face. Oh, and dough in his hair. That was from my fingers.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nothing. We, um, lost the recipe. So we were on the floor trying to find it.” I stammered, scrambling around for the little slip of paper that was indeed on the ground.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ibis sighed as I turned my back to him, and Callum winced.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What?” I asked, facing them.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well...” Ibis shook his head, pointing to the small mirror above the sink.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When I stood up to check, my back had smears of jam all over it, trailing from my hips to the tips of my hair. And Callum’s hands were covered in the stuff. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ve been caught red-handed.” Callum grinned, holding up his hands, and both me and Ibis groaned.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Clean this up. Both of you.” Ibis muttered, leaving us before we made anything else worse.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After an hour of sweeping, wiping and (maybe) no messing around, the kitchen was back to being clean. And we even had jelly tarts freshly baked and ready to eat.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“These smell amazing!” Callum said, grabbing one and handing me another. </span>
</p><p class="p2">“These had better taste good after all the trouble we went through.” I said, eyeing the treat nervously.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Surely.” Callum agreed. </span>
</p><p class="p2">I bit into one - and suppressed a wince.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The pastry was rubbery and a little undercooked, the jam was crispy and tasted burnt, and it all tasted </span>
  <span class="s2">way</span>
  <span class="s1"> too much like flour.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Callum wasn’t doing much better.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Blagh. Okay. We should never cook again.” He mumbled, wiping his tongue on the sleeve of his tunic.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Just tell everyone that they tasted amazing?” I asked, before taking a swig of water.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Absolutely. No one can never know about this.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Nightmares/Comfort</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one is my favourite so far :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">That same chamber in the mountain, that same evil laugh. A staff raised high - sometimes it was over Runaan, sometimes my parents, sometimes over Callum.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But tonight was new. Viren was twisted and corrupted and cracked - but that wasn’t new. No, it was that Viren was standing over </span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">Zym</span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">. Now slightly bigger than a large dog, but he wasn’t moving. And I couldn’t see anything around us - it was pitch black, apart from the dirty ground that spanned the nine feet between me and the dark mage.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Zym!” I tried to scream - and tonight, I could. The somewhat rational part of my mind, that knew this was a nightmare, realised that sound actually came out instead of gasping breaths.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Zym! Wake up!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Viren smiled, his teeth bloody and broken. Like his soul. The twisted expression looked more like a grimace at this point as he bared his teeth at me.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I struggled to free my arms, but they were caged in ice.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But I was too late anyway.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Viren speared through Zym’s chest with the pointed tip. A wispy, blue essence floated out and the giant bug that was wound around Viren’s neck sucked it up.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Viren started glowing, illuminating the area around him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I saw the bodies of everyone I loved, all scattered around the room.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I felt myself gasping, sobs wracking my body as Callum’s limp form came into view, slouching against the cave wall. Blood dried on his mouth.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No!” I screamed, thrashing as Viren kicked the corpse of the dragon off of his staff. “No!” He approached me, giving me plenty of time to think about what was going to happen next. “No, no, no!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He chuckled darkly. “Time to add you to my collection...”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He jingled that damn pouch, that pouch that plagued my thoughts both waking and dreaming.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No! No- No...” My voice grew quieter and quieter, vocal cords scratchy and rough.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I felt the mountain shaking, collapsing around me. “No.” I whimpered, hanging my head in defeat. “No.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Rayla!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I sat up abruptly, a blade already in my hand from under my pillow.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A hand rubbed my back, soothing me. “Rayla. It’s me.” He murmured.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">My eyes finally adjusted - I was in a castle room, on a plush bed. The walls were still closing in, the air too thick and stuffy.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I-“ I gasped, putting a hand on my chest. I was going to throw up-</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Outside?” Callum asked, keeping calm. For my sake.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I nodded quickly, and he scooped me into his arms in one fluid movement. He walked us over to the balcony and set me down on my feet.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The fresh air helped clear my head but the nightmare was still fresh in my mind. </span>
</p><p class="p2">“Do you want me to go?” Callum asked.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No!” I blurted loudly, wincing when my voice came out scratchy and hoarse. “I mean... please. Stay.” I whispered.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was a cool night, a new moon in the sky somewhere. I could barely see the silhouette in the sky - I could only barely feel its weak power. A new moon always meant worse nightmares.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I leaned on the balcony ledge, and ran my fingers through my hair.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Callum stood next to me, unsure if he was allowed to touch me. Sometimes I just needed space from everyone, and other times Callum’s soft words and warm embraces felt like the only thing that kept me sane.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I leant my head on his shoulder to let him now that it was okay, and he shifted so he was hugging me from behind. Usually the slight height difference we had - he was slightly taller now, only by about an inch - annoyed me, but now it made him the perfect height to rest his chin on my head.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2">This was our agreement. We would always ask each other if we were okay, always make sure that the other wasn’t hurting. Always try to fix the hurt. I would never push him away, and he would never hide away his feelings.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But I was allowed to refuse a question, as long as I understood that he would ask about it later. “No.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I realised that tonight I had extra guards on my room - a diplomat from Neolandia was visiting, and I was forbidden from sneaking into Callum’s room.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Usually Opeli turned a blind eye, but if we were caught sleeping together - an elven assassin with a human prince, let alone the first human to connect to one arcanum - it would cause a scandal. Even if that sounded far worse and more... inappropriate than anything that actually happened while we were together.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But that all meant that he wasn’t in my room tonight, and I wasn’t in his, so he had come from his room. And it would have to be for a good reason - oh no.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Was I... could you hear me?” I whispered, being sure not to aggravate my vocal cords. Oh. Of course. The nightmare really threw me off - I didn’t even think about how hoarse my voice was.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Callum tightened his grip on me. “I ran into Opeli in the hallway, and she told me to go to you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I was that bad...</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You didn’t say much. Just a lot of ‘no’s and I think I heard ‘Zym’ once or twice.” He didn’t say ‘scream’ or ‘cry’, which I was grateful for. I didn’t need reminding of how loud I could be when having bad dreams.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">My first instinct was to apologise- but that was part of our agreement. No apologising for things that aren’t our fault. Even though I was pretty sure that me sleep-screaming was partially my fault, Callum wouldn’t appreciate it. </span>
</p><p class="p2">And that’s what apologies are for, right? To make the other person feel better. So really, I shouldn’t say sorry if it’s not going to make Callum feel better, if he doesn’t want an apology.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That’s Callum’s logic. It made sense, I guessed.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do you think that Opeli would mind if I just stayed the rest of the night in your room?” Callum wondered.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“She’s probably out there making sure that you stay, so I don’t scare the diplomat away anymore.” I joked, and he chuckled a little. </span>
  <span class="s2">That</span>
  <span class="s1"> is what he appreciated. Using humour to guide him - to let him know that I was feeling better.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A lot of our agreement was about learning to understand each other and </span>
  <span class="s2">helping</span>
  <span class="s1"> each other understand us.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">We both knew that the real reason Opeli would let Callum stay was so that I was okay. Even if she... disapproved of our sleeping arrangement, the only reason that she let it happen was because she liked me. She had even kind of taken me under her wing - she looked out for me, even if it was hard to see sometimes (okay, a lot of the time).</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In fact, she appeared just behind us, still in her nightclothes.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Rayla?” She asked, rare concern showing.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I turned to face her, and plastered a smile on my face. It was clearly fake, but the fact that I was trying would reassure her. “I’m okay.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her gaze flicked to Callum, whose arm was still supporting me.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Can I- could I stay-“ He stammered, and Opeli nodded.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Just be sure to be gone before dawn. I know you two are particularly good at reappearing in your own rooms in the mornings.” She was half-joking, half-sighing. She was good at that. </span>
</p><p class="p2">So After a few more minutes, and when Opeli left to go back to sleep, Callum led me to my bed, and hugged me tightly to his chest under the covers. Sometimes I would be the big spoon, preferring to cuddle Callum to myself. But tonight I just wanted to be held.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then my eyes focused on the room for the first time, and I saw a small plate of jelly tarts on my bedside table.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey, what’s wrong? Do you want to go back outside?” Callum murmured, brushing his thumbs over my cheeks.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I didn’t even realise I was crying until I saw his fingers come away wet.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I felt a surge of love, and not just for Callum. Opeli, checking in and doing whatever was best for me. Ezran, leaving behind treats to lift my spirits. And Callum, always Callum, looking after me and comforting me, prioritising me over everything else.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nothing.” I whispered back, hugging Callum tightly. “I’m just </span>
  <span class="s2">so</span>
  <span class="s1"> lucky to have you all.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay so this became a heartwarming family fic and I don’t know how but I’m just rolling with it right now</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>UMMMMM THROUGH THE MOON PREVIEW, AM I RIGHT?!?!?!?!? </p><p>It’s officially canon that Rayla is an affectionate girlfriend who likes morning hugggsssss and hsnsjhdsjksbsksjsksjn I cant handle ittttt</p></blockquote></div></div>
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